People's Choice Classic
Ewan (OGE) wins People's Choice Classic, prelude to UCI WorldTour opener Tour Down Under from Tuesday. Lobato, Rojas finish 14th, 16th; Sütterlin into early moves
As usual for the Movistar Team, the 2016 season for the Blues started at Adelaide's Rymill Park, where the 51-kilometer People's Choice Classic, preface to the big week of Aussie cycling, saw Caleb Ewan (OGE) outsprinting the field as the telephone squad unsuccessfully tried to take a place at the front.
A move by Jasha Sütterlin into the first third of the 30-lap course preceeded positioning from from the German himself plus local Rory Sutherland and debutant Nelson Oliveira, looking forward to setting Juanjo Lobato and José Joaquín Rojas in good place. However, the usual chaos at the front of the field took them out of the front, crossing the line in 14th and 16th, respectively.
Better suited stages should come for the Blues from Tuesday, as the 2016 UCI WorldTour officially starts with stage one of the Tour Down Under covering 131km, between Prospect and Lyndoch on rolling roads.